US20120137962A1 - Gas supply device for use in crystal-growing furnace - Google Patents
Gas supply device for use in crystal-growing furnace Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20120137962A1 US20120137962A1 US12/960,045 US96004510A US2012137962A1 US 20120137962 A1 US20120137962 A1 US 20120137962A1 US 96004510 A US96004510 A US 96004510A US 2012137962 A1 US2012137962 A1 US 2012137962A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- gas
- crystal
- supply device
- gas inlet
- crucible
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- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 20
- 239000000155 melt Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 abstract description 28
- 239000012535 impurity Substances 0.000 abstract description 21
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 94
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 10
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 10
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 10
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000005266 casting Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000012809 cooling fluid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000007711 solidification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008023 solidification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000026676 system process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003792 electrolyte Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003344 environmental pollutant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011261 inert gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000002500 ions Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 231100000719 pollutant Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 238000004088 simulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002912 waste gas Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C30—CRYSTAL GROWTH
- C30B—SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C30B28/00—Production of homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure
- C30B28/04—Production of homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure from liquids
- C30B28/06—Production of homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure from liquids by normal freezing or freezing under temperature gradient
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C30—CRYSTAL GROWTH
- C30B—SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C30B11/00—Single-crystal growth by normal freezing or freezing under temperature gradient, e.g. Bridgman-Stockbarger method
- C30B11/006—Controlling or regulating
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T117/00—Single-crystal, oriented-crystal, and epitaxy growth processes; non-coating apparatus therefor
- Y10T117/10—Apparatus
- Y10T117/1024—Apparatus for crystallization from liquid or supercritical state
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace, and more particularly, to a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace that is capable of effectively reducing the impurities present in the crystal ingot produced thereby.
- a solar cell is a non-pollutant renewable energy source that can directly generate electric power by virtue of the interactions between the sunlight and chemical materials. Especially, the solar cell will not discharge any undesired waste gas during use, such as CO 2 , so that the solar cell is promising in helping environmental protection and solving the problem of the earth's greenhouse effect.
- a solar cell is a device that is capable of converting the solar energy into electrical power by generating a potential difference at the P-N junction interface of a semiconductor device, rather than by transmission of electrically conductive ions via an electrolyte.
- the semiconductor device will generate a tremendous amount of electrons when struck by the sunlight, and the movement of the electrons results in a potential difference at the P-N junction.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a furnace for producing a silicon crystal ingot, which primarily includes a crucible 21 for containing a silicon melt 11 .
- the crucible 21 is provided circumferentially with a lateral insulation layer 22 and an upper insulation layer 23 , so as to constitute a hot zone, in which a heater 24 are equipped to provide heat to silicon.
- the upper insulation layer 23 is further provided with a gas inlet 25 used for introducing an inert gas, whereas the lateral insulation layer 22 may be formed with a gas exit 26 .
- a gas is introduced into the furnace at a predetermined flow rate through the gas inlet 25 to generate a gas flow passing through the hot zone and, thus, carrying the impurity away from the furnace via the gas exit 26 .
- a crystal ingot 12 may be obtained by reducing the output power of the heater 24 (casting process), or by moving the lateral insulation layer 22 upwards to allow radiant cooling of the crucible 21 (directional solidification system process), to thereby solidify the silicon melt 11 contained within the crucible 21 .
- the crystal ingot 12 may also be obtained by additionally disposing a support 28 between the crucible 21 and a base 27 , so that the silicon melt 11 contained within the crucible 21 can be solidified by lowering the support 28 to draw the crucible 21 downwards to a cooling zone (Bridgman process), or by introducing a cooling fluid into the support 28 (heat exchanger process).
- the gas inlet 25 of the hot zone device only slightly protrudes into the hot zone beneath the upper insulation layer 23 .
- the opening of the gas inlet 25 is located so far from the free surface of the silicon melt 11 contained in the crucible 21 (namely, the interface of the silicon melt and the gas) that the gas flow introduced through the gas inlet 25 fails to effectively carry the impurities away from the free surface and leads to an unfavorable result that the crystal ingot produced thereby has a high concentration of impurities and a reduced crystal quality.
- an object of the invention is to provide a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace that is capable of improving the quality of the crystal ingot produced thereby by effectively reducing the impurities present in the crystal ingot.
- a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace which comprises an insulation layer enclosing a crucible, a gas inlet mounted in the insulation layer, and a gas exit formed in the insulation layer, so that the gas inlet is allowed to introduce a gas at a predetermined flow rate to generate a gas flow passing through the hot zone and carrying the impurity away from the furnace via the gas exit.
- a gas flow guide shield is disposed at the opening of the gas inlet, so that the free surface of the melt is blown by the gas flow guided by the gas flow guide shield.
- the gas supply device additionally comprises an adjusting unit coupled to the gas inlet.
- the adjusting unit allows a precise control of the position of the gas inlet in relation to either the height of crucible or the height of the free surface of the melt during an actual operation, so as to maintain the opening of the gas inlet spaced apart from the free surface of the melt contained in the crucible by a predetermined range of distance.
- the impurities can be more efficiently and more rapidly taken away from the free surface of the melt by the gas flow according to the invention disclosed herein as compared to the prior art.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the gas supply device used in a conventional crystal-growing furnace
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a furnace according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gas supply device according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the adjustment of the gas flow guide shield according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gas supply device according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the adjustment of the gas flow guide shield according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the contours of the crucible and the guide shield according to the third preferred embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the contours of the crucible and the guide shield according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 9 shows the concentration profiles of impurities simulated along the growth direction of grown crystal ingots under different gas inlet designs.
- the present invention provides a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace that is capable of improving the quality of the crystal ingot produced thereby by effectively reducing the impurities present in the crystal ingot.
- the furnace according to the invention generally comprises a crucible 31 for containing a silicon melt 41 .
- the crucible 31 is surrounded circumferentially by an insulation layer 32 , so as to constitute a hot zone, in which a heater 37 are equipped to provide heat to silicon.
- the gas supply device comprises a gas inlet 33 protruding from the insulation layer 32 , and a gas exit 34 formed in the insulation layer 32 , so that the gas inlet 33 is allowed to introduce a gas at a predetermined flow rate to generate a gas flow passing through the hot zone and, thus, carrying the impurity away from the furnace via the gas exit 34 .
- the gas supply device is characterized by the technical features described below.
- the gas inlet 33 is provided at its opening with a gas flow guide shield 36 with an adjustable angle for guiding the gas flow from the gas inlet 33 to the regions surrounding the opening of the gas inlet 33 , so that the free surface of the melt 41 is blown by the guided gas flow in such a manner that the gas flow takes impurities away from the free surface at a more rapid rate compared to the prior art.
- the crystal ingot obtained by solidifying the melt 41 will exhibit a reduced concentration of impurities and an improved crystal quality.
- the crucible 31 is provided above with a cover 39 formed with a gas exit 34 , as shown in FIG. 3 .
- the gas flow guide shield 36 is preferably positioned at an angle between 80 ⁇ 160 degree, more preferably at an angle of 150 degree, relative to the gas inlet 33 .
- the furnace that is equipped with the gas supply device according to the invention may be a furnace designed to solidify the melt 41 contained within the crucible 31 by reducing the output power of the heater (casting process), or a furnace designed to solidify the melt 41 contained within the crucible 31 by moving the insulation layer 32 upwards to effect radiant cooling of the crucible 31 (directional solidification system process).
- the furnace which is equipped with the gas supply device according to the invention may be additionally provided with a support 38 connected to an underside of the crucible 31 , so that the melt 41 contained within the crucible 31 can be solidified by lowering the support 38 to draw the crucible 31 downwards to a cooling zone (Bridgman process), or by introducing a cooling fluid into the support 38 (heat exchanger process). All of the furnaces described herein may be provided with the gas supply device disclosed herein to effectively reduce the concentration of impurities present in the crystal ingot 42 produced by solidifying the melt 41 , thereby improving crystal quality of the crystal ingot 42 .
- the gas supply device additionally includes an adjusting unit coupled to the gas inlet 33 and used to adjust the position of the gas inlet 33 in relation to the crucible 31 .
- the adjusting unit includes an internally threaded sleeve 35 inserted substantially vertically into the insulation layer 32 .
- the gas inlet 33 is provided on its outer surface with a threaded section 331 for engaging the threaded sleeve 35 , so that the relative position of the gas inlet 33 can be adjusted by rotating the gas inlet 33 in relation to the threaded sleeve 35 .
- the inventive gas supply device for use in the furnace allows a precise control of the position of the gas inlet 33 in relation to the height of crucible 31 or the height of the free surface of the melt 41 during an actual operation, so as to maintain the distance between the opening of the gas inlet 33 and the free surface of the melt 41 contained in the crucible 31 within a predetermined range.
- the impurities can be more efficiently and more rapidly taken away from the free surface of the melt 41 by the gas flow according to the invention disclosed herein as compared to the prior art.
- the gas flow guide shield 36 disclosed herein is regularly mounted on the shield body thereof with a plurality of radially arranged rails 361 , each connected to the gas inlet 33 via a linkage 362 , such that the linkages 362 cooperate with the rails 361 to position the gas flow guide shield 36 at an inclined angle between 80 ⁇ 160 degree with respect to the gas inlet 33 .
- FIGS. 3 and 4 show that the linkages 362 cooperate with the rails 361 to position the gas flow guide shield 36 at an inclined angle between 80 ⁇ 160 degree with respect to the gas inlet 33 .
- the shield body of gas flow guide shield 36 may alternatively be provided with a plurality of hinge elements 363 pivotally connected to the gas inlet 33 in such a manner that the gas flow guide shield 36 is adjusted at an inclined angle between 80 ⁇ 160 degree with respect to the gas inlet 33 , thereby fulfilling the needs of changing the speed of the gas flow.
- the guide shield 36 may be configured to have a rectangular outer contour and the crucible 31 is similarly configured to have a rectangular internal contour.
- the guide shield 36 is configured to have a circular outer contour and the crucible 31 is similarly configured to have a circular internal contour, as shown in FIG. 8 .
- the outer edge of the guide shield 36 is kept apart from the internal wall of the crucible 31 by a predetermined distance.
- the gas supply device disclosed herein is tailored to dispose the gas flow guide shield 36 at the opening of the gas inlet 33 to allow the gas flow introduced through the gas inlet 33 to be guided by the guide shield 36 , so that the free surface of the melt 41 is blown by the guided gas flow in such an effective manner that the crystal ingot thus produced exhibit a reduced concentration of impurities.
- FIG. 9 shows the concentration profiles of impurities measured along the growth direction of grown crystal ingots under different gas inlet designs, in which crystal ingots produced by using a conventional gas inlet design (Test 1) and by using the designs where the gas flow guide shield is positioned with respect to the gas inlet at an inclined angle of 90° (Test 2) and 150° (Test 3), respectively, are subjected to the simulations.
- Test 1 a conventional gas inlet design
- Test 3 150°
- the crystal ingots obtained in Tests 1, 2 and 3 contain an impurity concentration of about 1.6 ppma, 1.25 ppma and 1.05 ppma, respectively.
- the inventive gas supply device which is tailored to incorporate a gas flow guide shield, can efficiently enable the production of crystal ingots with a reduced concentration of impurities.
- Preferred is the design where the gas flow guide shield is positioned at an inclined angle of 150 with respect to the gas inlet.
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- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Crystals, And After-Treatments Of Crystals (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention relates to a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace. The gas supply device has an insulation layer enclosing a crucible, a gas inlet mounted in the insulation layer, and a gas exit formed in the insulation layer. A gas flow guide shield with an adjustable angle is disposed at the opening of the gas inlet, so that the free surface of the melt is blown by the guided gas flow in such a manner that the gas flow takes the impurity away from the free surface efficiently. As a result, the crystal ingot obtained by solidifying the melt will exhibit a reduced concentration of impurities and an improved crystal quality.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace, and more particularly, to a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace that is capable of effectively reducing the impurities present in the crystal ingot produced thereby.
- 2. Description of the Prior Art
- It is known in the art that a solar cell is a non-pollutant renewable energy source that can directly generate electric power by virtue of the interactions between the sunlight and chemical materials. Especially, the solar cell will not discharge any undesired waste gas during use, such as CO2, so that the solar cell is promising in helping environmental protection and solving the problem of the earth's greenhouse effect.
- A solar cell is a device that is capable of converting the solar energy into electrical power by generating a potential difference at the P-N junction interface of a semiconductor device, rather than by transmission of electrically conductive ions via an electrolyte. The semiconductor device will generate a tremendous amount of electrons when struck by the sunlight, and the movement of the electrons results in a potential difference at the P-N junction.
- The modern solar cells are typically made by three types of materials: amorphous materials, mono-crystal materials and poly-crystal materials.
FIG. 1 illustrates a furnace for producing a silicon crystal ingot, which primarily includes acrucible 21 for containing asilicon melt 11. Thecrucible 21 is provided circumferentially with alateral insulation layer 22 and anupper insulation layer 23, so as to constitute a hot zone, in which aheater 24 are equipped to provide heat to silicon. - The
upper insulation layer 23 is further provided with agas inlet 25 used for introducing an inert gas, whereas thelateral insulation layer 22 may be formed with agas exit 26. During the process of melting the silicon by heat, a gas is introduced into the furnace at a predetermined flow rate through thegas inlet 25 to generate a gas flow passing through the hot zone and, thus, carrying the impurity away from the furnace via thegas exit 26. - A
crystal ingot 12 may be obtained by reducing the output power of the heater 24 (casting process), or by moving thelateral insulation layer 22 upwards to allow radiant cooling of the crucible 21 (directional solidification system process), to thereby solidify thesilicon melt 11 contained within thecrucible 21. - Moreover, the
crystal ingot 12 may also be obtained by additionally disposing asupport 28 between thecrucible 21 and abase 27, so that thesilicon melt 11 contained within thecrucible 21 can be solidified by lowering thesupport 28 to draw thecrucible 21 downwards to a cooling zone (Bridgman process), or by introducing a cooling fluid into the support 28 (heat exchanger process). - In the conventional furnace described above, however, the gas inlet 25 of the hot zone device only slightly protrudes into the hot zone beneath the
upper insulation layer 23. As a consequence, the opening of thegas inlet 25 is located so far from the free surface of thesilicon melt 11 contained in the crucible 21 (namely, the interface of the silicon melt and the gas) that the gas flow introduced through thegas inlet 25 fails to effectively carry the impurities away from the free surface and leads to an unfavorable result that the crystal ingot produced thereby has a high concentration of impurities and a reduced crystal quality. - Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace that is capable of improving the quality of the crystal ingot produced thereby by effectively reducing the impurities present in the crystal ingot.
- In order to achieve this object, a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace is provided, which comprises an insulation layer enclosing a crucible, a gas inlet mounted in the insulation layer, and a gas exit formed in the insulation layer, so that the gas inlet is allowed to introduce a gas at a predetermined flow rate to generate a gas flow passing through the hot zone and carrying the impurity away from the furnace via the gas exit. Especially, a gas flow guide shield is disposed at the opening of the gas inlet, so that the free surface of the melt is blown by the gas flow guided by the gas flow guide shield. As a result, the crystal ingot thus obtained exhibits a reduced concentration of impurities and an improved crystal quality.
- Preferably, the gas supply device according to the invention additionally comprises an adjusting unit coupled to the gas inlet. The adjusting unit allows a precise control of the position of the gas inlet in relation to either the height of crucible or the height of the free surface of the melt during an actual operation, so as to maintain the opening of the gas inlet spaced apart from the free surface of the melt contained in the crucible by a predetermined range of distance. As such, at a given gas flow rate, the impurities can be more efficiently and more rapidly taken away from the free surface of the melt by the gas flow according to the invention disclosed herein as compared to the prior art.
- The above and other objects, features and effects of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the gas supply device used in a conventional crystal-growing furnace; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a furnace according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gas supply device according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the adjustment of the gas flow guide shield according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gas supply device according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the adjustment of the gas flow guide shield according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the contours of the crucible and the guide shield according to the third preferred embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the contours of the crucible and the guide shield according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the invention; and -
FIG. 9 shows the concentration profiles of impurities simulated along the growth direction of grown crystal ingots under different gas inlet designs. - The present invention provides a gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace that is capable of improving the quality of the crystal ingot produced thereby by effectively reducing the impurities present in the crystal ingot. As shown in
FIG. 2 , the furnace according to the invention generally comprises acrucible 31 for containing asilicon melt 41. Thecrucible 31 is surrounded circumferentially by aninsulation layer 32, so as to constitute a hot zone, in which aheater 37 are equipped to provide heat to silicon. - The gas supply device according to the invention comprises a
gas inlet 33 protruding from theinsulation layer 32, and agas exit 34 formed in theinsulation layer 32, so that thegas inlet 33 is allowed to introduce a gas at a predetermined flow rate to generate a gas flow passing through the hot zone and, thus, carrying the impurity away from the furnace via thegas exit 34. The gas supply device is characterized by the technical features described below. - The
gas inlet 33 is provided at its opening with a gasflow guide shield 36 with an adjustable angle for guiding the gas flow from thegas inlet 33 to the regions surrounding the opening of thegas inlet 33, so that the free surface of themelt 41 is blown by the guided gas flow in such a manner that the gas flow takes impurities away from the free surface at a more rapid rate compared to the prior art. As a result, the crystal ingot obtained by solidifying themelt 41 will exhibit a reduced concentration of impurities and an improved crystal quality. Preferably, thecrucible 31 is provided above with acover 39 formed with agas exit 34, as shown inFIG. 3 . As shown inFIGS. 2 and 4 , the gasflow guide shield 36 is preferably positioned at an angle between 80˜160 degree, more preferably at an angle of 150 degree, relative to thegas inlet 33. - The furnace that is equipped with the gas supply device according to the invention may be a furnace designed to solidify the
melt 41 contained within thecrucible 31 by reducing the output power of the heater (casting process), or a furnace designed to solidify themelt 41 contained within thecrucible 31 by moving theinsulation layer 32 upwards to effect radiant cooling of the crucible 31 (directional solidification system process). - It is apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art that the furnace which is equipped with the gas supply device according to the invention may be additionally provided with a
support 38 connected to an underside of thecrucible 31, so that themelt 41 contained within thecrucible 31 can be solidified by lowering thesupport 38 to draw thecrucible 31 downwards to a cooling zone (Bridgman process), or by introducing a cooling fluid into the support 38 (heat exchanger process). All of the furnaces described herein may be provided with the gas supply device disclosed herein to effectively reduce the concentration of impurities present in thecrystal ingot 42 produced by solidifying themelt 41, thereby improving crystal quality of thecrystal ingot 42. - Preferably, the gas supply device according to the invention additionally includes an adjusting unit coupled to the
gas inlet 33 and used to adjust the position of thegas inlet 33 in relation to thecrucible 31. The adjusting unit includes an internally threadedsleeve 35 inserted substantially vertically into theinsulation layer 32. Thegas inlet 33 is provided on its outer surface with a threadedsection 331 for engaging the threadedsleeve 35, so that the relative position of thegas inlet 33 can be adjusted by rotating thegas inlet 33 in relation to the threadedsleeve 35. - By virtue of the arrangement disclosed herein, the inventive gas supply device for use in the furnace allows a precise control of the position of the
gas inlet 33 in relation to the height ofcrucible 31 or the height of the free surface of themelt 41 during an actual operation, so as to maintain the distance between the opening of thegas inlet 33 and the free surface of themelt 41 contained in thecrucible 31 within a predetermined range. As a result, at a given gas flow rate, the impurities can be more efficiently and more rapidly taken away from the free surface of themelt 41 by the gas flow according to the invention disclosed herein as compared to the prior art. - In actual practice, As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 , the gasflow guide shield 36 disclosed herein is regularly mounted on the shield body thereof with a plurality of radially arrangedrails 361, each connected to thegas inlet 33 via alinkage 362, such that thelinkages 362 cooperate with therails 361 to position the gasflow guide shield 36 at an inclined angle between 80˜160 degree with respect to thegas inlet 33. As shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 , the shield body of gasflow guide shield 36 may alternatively be provided with a plurality ofhinge elements 363 pivotally connected to thegas inlet 33 in such a manner that the gasflow guide shield 36 is adjusted at an inclined angle between 80˜160 degree with respect to thegas inlet 33, thereby fulfilling the needs of changing the speed of the gas flow. - In addition, as shown in
FIG. 7 , theguide shield 36 may be configured to have a rectangular outer contour and thecrucible 31 is similarly configured to have a rectangular internal contour. Alternatively, theguide shield 36 is configured to have a circular outer contour and thecrucible 31 is similarly configured to have a circular internal contour, as shown inFIG. 8 . The outer edge of theguide shield 36 is kept apart from the internal wall of thecrucible 31 by a predetermined distance. - The gas supply device disclosed herein is tailored to dispose the gas
flow guide shield 36 at the opening of thegas inlet 33 to allow the gas flow introduced through thegas inlet 33 to be guided by theguide shield 36, so that the free surface of themelt 41 is blown by the guided gas flow in such an effective manner that the crystal ingot thus produced exhibit a reduced concentration of impurities. -
FIG. 9 shows the concentration profiles of impurities measured along the growth direction of grown crystal ingots under different gas inlet designs, in which crystal ingots produced by using a conventional gas inlet design (Test 1) and by using the designs where the gas flow guide shield is positioned with respect to the gas inlet at an inclined angle of 90° (Test 2) and 150° (Test 3), respectively, are subjected to the simulations. At a certain height of grown crystal ingots (for example, at a height of 80 mm along the growth direction), the crystal ingots obtained inTests - In conclusion, the gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace as disclosed herein can surely achieve the intended objects and effects of the invention by virtue of the structural arrangements described above. While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments above, it should be recognized that the preferred embodiments are given for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention and that various modifications and changes, which will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (8)
1. A gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace, comprising:
a crucible;
an insulation layer enclosing the crucible and formed with a gas exit;
a gas inlet mounted in the insulation layer and having an opening; and
a gas flow guide shield with an adjustable angle disposed at the opening of the gas inlet.
2. The gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the gas inlet is coupled with an adjusting unit for positioning the gas inlet relative to the melt.
3. The gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace according to claim 2 , wherein the adjusting unit comprises a threaded sleeve inserted into the insulation layer, and wherein the gas inlet is provided on its outer surface with a threaded section for engaging the threaded sleeve, so that the relative position of the gas inlet can be adjusted by rotating the gas inlet in relation to the threaded sleeve.
4. The gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the gas flow guide shield is regularly mounted on its shield body with a plurality of radially arranged rails, each connected to the gas inlet via a linkage.
5. The gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the gas flow guide shield is provided on its shield body with a plurality of hinge elements pivotally connected to the gas inlet.
6. The gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the gas flow guide shield is configured to have a rectangular outer contour and the crucible is similarly configured to have a rectangular internal contour.
7. The gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the gas flow guide shield is configured to have a circular outer contour and the crucible is similarly configured to have a circular internal contour.
8. The gas supply device for use in a crystal-growing furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the crucible is provided above with a cover formed with a gas exit.
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US12/960,045 US20120137962A1 (en) | 2010-12-03 | 2010-12-03 | Gas supply device for use in crystal-growing furnace |
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US12/960,045 US20120137962A1 (en) | 2010-12-03 | 2010-12-03 | Gas supply device for use in crystal-growing furnace |
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US20120137962A1 true US20120137962A1 (en) | 2012-06-07 |
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Citations (3)
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US20060249072A1 (en) * | 2005-05-05 | 2006-11-09 | Csillag Frank J | Method of synthesizing a fluoride growth material for improved outgassing |
US8268074B2 (en) * | 2005-02-03 | 2012-09-18 | Rec Scan Wafer As | Method and device for producing oriented solidified blocks made of semi-conductor material |
US8317920B2 (en) * | 2008-09-19 | 2012-11-27 | Memc Singapore Pte. Ltd. | Directional solidification furnace for reducing melt contamination and reducing wafer contamination |
-
2010
- 2010-12-03 US US12/960,045 patent/US20120137962A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (3)
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US20060249072A1 (en) * | 2005-05-05 | 2006-11-09 | Csillag Frank J | Method of synthesizing a fluoride growth material for improved outgassing |
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